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- Title
- DIFFERENT TIME, SAME PLACE, SAME STORY? A SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION PERSPECTIVE TO EXAMINING JUVENILE HOMICIDES.
- Creator
-
Laurikkala, Minna, Corzine, Jay, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In 2007, juveniles were involved in a minimum of 1,063 murders in the United States (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2008), and a concern over juvenile homicide offenders remains. While increasingly more macrolevel research on juvenile homicide offending has been accumulated, particularly since the 1980s, research focusing on macrolevel correlates of juvenile homicides is still relatively scarce (MacDonald & Gover, 2005; Ousey & Campbell Augustine, 2001). In the first part of this study,...
Show moreIn 2007, juveniles were involved in a minimum of 1,063 murders in the United States (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2008), and a concern over juvenile homicide offenders remains. While increasingly more macrolevel research on juvenile homicide offending has been accumulated, particularly since the 1980s, research focusing on macrolevel correlates of juvenile homicides is still relatively scarce (MacDonald & Gover, 2005; Ousey & Campbell Augustine, 2001). In the first part of this study, several variables relating to the offender, victim, setting, and precursors to the homicide by race and gender were examined in order to provide details on the context of youth homicides between 1965 and 1995 in Chicago. The Homicides in Chicago, 1965-1995 data set and Census data for 1970, 1980, and 1990 were used in this study. The results indicate that changes in youth homicides over the 31-year time period involved increases in lethal gang altercations, particularly among Latinos, and increases in the use of automatic weapons. Young females had very little impact on homicide rates in Chicago. The second part of the study examined whether measures of social disorganization can aid in the prediction of homicides committed by youths, and a total of ten negative binomial models were run. The results of the analyses in the three time periods indicate that racial/ethnic heterogeneity, educational deprivation, unemployment, and family disruption are significantly and positively related to homicides. Foreign-born population and median household income were found to be significantly and negatively related to homicides. The significant indicators of social disorganization varied in the seven models for the disaggregated groups. Overall, the results reflect support for social disorganization theory. Limitations, suggestion for future research, and policy implications are also addressed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002809, ucf:48090
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002809
- Title
- THE VEGETARIAN SOCIAL MOVEMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF WITHDRAWAL AND BACKSLIDING.
- Creator
-
Hecht, Jaime, Grauerholz, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The vegetarian social movement is a "new" social movement based in lifestyle and cultural change. New social movements hold a strong emphasis on collective identity and social networks as a means to sustain participation. The majority of the social movement literature remains focused on movement engagement and mobilization while a large gap exists regarding disengagement. This project explores the barriers to vegetarian maintenance. The primary question answered is, why do some vegetarians...
Show moreThe vegetarian social movement is a "new" social movement based in lifestyle and cultural change. New social movements hold a strong emphasis on collective identity and social networks as a means to sustain participation. The majority of the social movement literature remains focused on movement engagement and mobilization while a large gap exists regarding disengagement. This project explores the barriers to vegetarian maintenance. The primary question answered is, why do some vegetarians and vegans backslide and withdraw from the practice? Fourteen individuals were interviewed to discover the social and cultural factors inherent in vegetarian instability. Over the course of the interviews, the project morphed into an analysis of why and how my respondents changed their food habits over time and what was the context that prompted these changes. Vegetarianism is a unique movement as definitions of what constitutes a vegetarian is rooted in the individual, idiosyncratic biographies of individuals. This study found the influence of family, traditions, labels/definitions, peers, gender and the lure of social status to be very significant regarding vegetarian flux. Results indicate that vegetarian membership is fluid and permeable, takes on a life course trajectory and is rooted within the context of many social and cultural factors. Uncovering the barriers to vegetarianism not only adds to the disengagement aspect of social movement research, but also hopes to aid movement leaders in overcoming this problem as well as further substantiate and progress the vegetarian social movement.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003683, ucf:48808
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003683
- Title
- Keep Your Thoughts Off My Body: Social Attitudes Toward Rape-Related Abortions.
- Creator
-
Fernandez, Ketty, Huff-Corzine, Lin, Corzine, Harold, Gay, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, abortion continues to be an ongoing debate among pro-choice and pro-life groups, and politicians, and is one of the many barriers women may face. As rape continues in being a significant social issue, rape-related pregnancies and abortions have been understudied. By using the General Social Survey (GSS), this paper analyzes various sociodemographic variables which may influence social attitudes toward rape-related abortions. Findings indicate that...
Show moreSince the legalization of abortion in 1973, abortion continues to be an ongoing debate among pro-choice and pro-life groups, and politicians, and is one of the many barriers women may face. As rape continues in being a significant social issue, rape-related pregnancies and abortions have been understudied. By using the General Social Survey (GSS), this paper analyzes various sociodemographic variables which may influence social attitudes toward rape-related abortions. Findings indicate that Blacks, women, those living in the South, and age were not significant predictors of whether a pregnant woman should have a legal abortion as a result of rape. Other sociodemographic variables were significant; many supporting previous studies. However, this paper adds to the literature since social attitudes related to rape-related abortions have not been thoroughly studied. As this issue may arise, it is critical for professionals working with victims/survivors to understand, offer, and not judge women's decision should they decide to terminate their pregnancy. Due to various potential barriers women face, we may never obtain an accurate number of rape-related abortions or pregnancies. Because women may not report their rape, future research should focus on women in hospitals, abortion clinics, etc. to get a better understanding of the issue.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006590, ucf:51283
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006590
- Title
- Weight Discrimination Through Social Networking Sites: The Moderating Effects of Gender, Occupation, BMI, and Stereotype Consistency.
- Creator
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McHugh, Bridget, Joseph, Dana, Jentsch, Kimberly, Fritzsche, Barbara, Wisniewski, Pamela, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As the use of social networking sites (SNSs) in hiring increases, human resources professionals have become concerned with the increased probability of discriminatory hiring decisions. At the same time, there is increasing evidence that discrimination towards overweight and obese applicants has risen in the past decade. The present study addressed these concerns by examining the impact of an applicant's weight in a SNS profile picture on the decision to hire the applicant for a sales position...
Show moreAs the use of social networking sites (SNSs) in hiring increases, human resources professionals have become concerned with the increased probability of discriminatory hiring decisions. At the same time, there is increasing evidence that discrimination towards overweight and obese applicants has risen in the past decade. The present study addressed these concerns by examining the impact of an applicant's weight in a SNS profile picture on the decision to hire the applicant for a sales position. The impact of the applicant's gender, body mass index, and stereotype-consistent behaviors on hiring intentions were examined. In addition, the type of sales position (face to face or over the phone) were also examined. Results indicated that only overweight, and not obese, candidates experienced discrimination. Moreover, whereas the types of behaviors disclosed on social media profiles impact hiring intentions, there were no interaction effects between applicant weight and the types of behaviors disclosed. Analyses suggested that stereotype-consistent behaviors associated with conscientiousness (i.e., laziness, discipline) were a stronger predictor of hiring intentions than behavior that was less work-related (i.e., unhealthy behaviors). In addition, results suggested that weight discrimination did not occur more for the in person position than the phone position. Overall, the present study suggests that disclosing behaviors on social media that reflect negative traits (i.e., lazy, undisciplined, unhealthy) may impact hiring intentions, regardless of the applicant's weight. Moreover, while applicants who are overweight are less likely to be hired than their average weight counterparts, this discrimination does not occur more often when the applicant engages in stereotype-consistent behavior.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006141, ucf:51172
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006141
- Title
- Welcome to the Club: IGO Socialization and Dyadic Arms Transfers.
- Creator
-
Dimino, Joseph, Dolan, Thomas, Kinsey, Barbara, Vasquez, Joseph, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis examines whether intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) can socialize member states by testing the effect of shared IGO memberships on dyadic arms transfers. IGO socialization is one of many proposed causal mechanisms by which IGO memberships might reduce interstate conflict. This thesis argues that the institutional socialization hypothesis (ISH), which asserts that shared IGO memberships will lead to interest convergence between member states, uses an invalid conceptualization...
Show moreThis thesis examines whether intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) can socialize member states by testing the effect of shared IGO memberships on dyadic arms transfers. IGO socialization is one of many proposed causal mechanisms by which IGO memberships might reduce interstate conflict. This thesis argues that the institutional socialization hypothesis (ISH), which asserts that shared IGO memberships will lead to interest convergence between member states, uses an invalid conceptualization and measurement of socialization. Instead, socialization is re-conceptualized as increased trust between member states, and re-operationalized using dyadic arms transfers as a proxy for trust. The study uses linear regression with cross-sectional panel data from the years 1960 to 1965 to test if the number of shared IGO memberships a dyad has five years prior leads to an increase in the number of arms transfers in a given dyad-year. The results are suggestive of a positive relationship between the number of shared IGO memberships and dyadic arms transfers, but are not conclusive at a 0.05 level of significance.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005605, ucf:50236
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005605
- Title
- Provider Perceptions of Ableism and Social Support Networks in the Healthcare Setting.
- Creator
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McCampbell, Darcey, Matusitz, Jonathan, Sandoval, Jennifer, Neuberger, Lindsay, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The objective of this study is to investigate ableism and social support networks in the healthcare setting. Social support networks play an important role in combating emotional distress in healthcare. They provide disabled patients a method for defending against the negative effects of ableism among other stressors. By definition, ableism refers to perceptions that disability is abnormal and undesirable. Ten healthcare providers in central Florida (i.e., in nursing homes, rehabilitation...
Show moreThe objective of this study is to investigate ableism and social support networks in the healthcare setting. Social support networks play an important role in combating emotional distress in healthcare. They provide disabled patients a method for defending against the negative effects of ableism among other stressors. By definition, ableism refers to perceptions that disability is abnormal and undesirable. Ten healthcare providers in central Florida (i.e., in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and primary care offices) were interviewed, using in-depth face-to-face qualitative interviewing. Participants were asked questions relating to the effects of ableist language on patients with disabilities as well as the role of social support networks in combating related stress. Throughout the process of data analysis, five major themes arose as most relevant to the research questions proposed: (1) Traditional Social Support, (2) Online Networks as a Source of Informational Support, (3) Concerns about Ableist Language, (4) External Sources of Patient Social Support, and (5) Accommodation and Accessibility.Results indicated a strong preference for traditional social support, as opposed to online support. Traditional social support is offered through accommodation of caregivers, availability of social workers, and creation of support groups. Benefits of online support networks are viewed mainly in terms of fulfilling the informational needs of patients with disabilities. Additionally, while some accommodations for patients with disabilities were described, these dealt primarily with alterations to the physical environment. Results showed a lack of attention paid to ableism in the healthcare field, particularly instances occurring in communication practices. Overall, there is room for improvement in the healthcare field concerning accommodations for patients with disabilities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004715, ucf:49839
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004715
- Title
- Game-based Strategies Implementation During Social Skills Training for Non-Elementary Aged Individuals.
- Creator
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Fenaughty, Joan, Hopp, Carolyn, Little, Mary, Vitale, Thomas, Hayes, Grant, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
ABSTRACT The problem of practice that has been identified is the lack of games as a social skills tool. Individuals with Autism may face many daily challenges. One of the known deficits for this population is their challenges related to social skills. One way to provide social skills instruction is through game-based strategies. When thinking about play it is not uncommon to automatically envision young children, but the inclusion of game-based play during social skills instruction can be...
Show moreABSTRACT The problem of practice that has been identified is the lack of games as a social skills tool. Individuals with Autism may face many daily challenges. One of the known deficits for this population is their challenges related to social skills. One way to provide social skills instruction is through game-based strategies. When thinking about play it is not uncommon to automatically envision young children, but the inclusion of game-based play during social skills instruction can be appropriate for all age groups. As children age interventions tend to move away from the inclusion of play. In order to teach social skills the individuals must first be willing to come together as a group and interact with each other. One way to bring resistant individuals together is through play. During the pilot study of social skills training, for middle school aged students with high functioning autism, it was discovered that the inclusion of playing board games became a positive and productive way to bring resistant individuals together for the purpose of social skills training. With the inclusion of game playing as part of the social skills pilot study the results were positive interactions between individuals who initially avoided any interactions, other than negative ones, with each other. The model will be implemented with individuals who have autism and may also have other disabilities who are functioning at a much lower cognitive level. The goals of the pilot program are to increase social interactions and to improve social skills through the inclusion of play during social skills instruction. Social skills instruction requires individuals to be engaged; the inclusion of play is a natural non-threatening way to promote cooperative social interactions as a precursor to social skills instruction.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005330, ucf:50536
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005330
- Title
- Fifteen questions asked by the Providence, R.I., Visitor: Representing the Roman Catholic political machine.
- Creator
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De Leon, Daniel, Socialist Labor Party
- Date Issued
- 1917
- Identifier
- 332900, CFDT332900, ucf:5177
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/332900
- Title
- SOCIAL COMPETENCE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN ONLINE PHYSICAL EDUCATION COURSES.
- Creator
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Ware, Deborah, Higginbotham, Patricia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this study was to assess the social competence of high school students enrolled in online Physical Education courses. Additionally, the demographic information regarding students who enroll in online Physical Education courses was examined. The subjects for this study included sixty students taking one of two Physical Education courses at the Florida Virtual School during the spring 2005 term. The entire curriculum of the Florida Virtual School is presented online and students...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to assess the social competence of high school students enrolled in online Physical Education courses. Additionally, the demographic information regarding students who enroll in online Physical Education courses was examined. The subjects for this study included sixty students taking one of two Physical Education courses at the Florida Virtual School during the spring 2005 term. The entire curriculum of the Florida Virtual School is presented online and students live throughout the entire state of Florida. Therefore, the entire study was administered online. The assessment instrument used was the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills created by Heidi Inderbitzen. The Teenage Inventory of Social Skills is a 40-item self-report questionnaire consisting of statements rated on a 6-point continuum. The instrument was divided into two sub-scales; a positive scale and a negative scale. A One-Sample T-Test was used to compare the mean sample scores with the standard means. Frequencies were run to review demographic information. Results indicated that there was no significant mean difference found between the students enrolled in online Physical Education courses and the mean of students established by the TISS. The majority of respondents were female, Caucasian, and were attending public or private schools for most of their classes.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000624, ucf:46532
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000624
- Title
- LATINO CULTURAL COMPETENCY IN SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.
- Creator
-
Menendez, Liana, Leon, Ana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Cultural competence serves as resource for social workers and other helping professionals to improve service delivery by using approaches that are compatible with the client's cultural values and beliefs. As the Latino population continues to grow, understanding the culture has important implications for social work practice, advocacy and research. There is a dearth of cultural competence training and educational programs that seek to effectively identify, address and meet the unique cultural...
Show moreCultural competence serves as resource for social workers and other helping professionals to improve service delivery by using approaches that are compatible with the client's cultural values and beliefs. As the Latino population continues to grow, understanding the culture has important implications for social work practice, advocacy and research. There is a dearth of cultural competence training and educational programs that seek to effectively identify, address and meet the unique cultural and linguistic needs of Latinos. With the growing population and a lack of culturally responsive services, clinicians familiar with the Latino culture and Latino cultural competency training and education programs, disparities among Latinos will continue to steadily rise. It is important for social work students and clinicians to receive advanced training in understanding the diverse needs of Latino populations. The purpose of this thesis is to review the existing literature to identify culturally competent practice methods and examine efforts to prepare social work students and clinicians to work with the Latino population. A search was conducted using PsychINFO, PubMed, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. Key terms used in the searches were"cultural competency training", "cultural competency education" and/or "social work/clinician" coupled with terms Hispanic or Latino. This thesis concludes with some considerations for integrating Latino cultural competency into the social work curriculum.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004747, ucf:45346
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004747
- Title
- INCORPORATING GRAPHIC NOVELS INTO SOCIAL STUDIES BASED INSTRUCTION: AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF DETERMINING QUALITY GRAPHIC NOVELS.
- Creator
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Johannessen, Lindsey, Hoffman, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
ABSTRACT It is becoming increasing important that teachers educate students about social studies in such a way so that students are interested and motivated by what they read. So often the curriculum is bombarded with physically heavy, incomprehensible, and traditional textbooks. Based upon the need for extensions to the social studies textbooks, my goal to establish a guideline for selecting quality graphic novels fitted for elementary social studies instruction. Therefore, my study will...
Show moreABSTRACT It is becoming increasing important that teachers educate students about social studies in such a way so that students are interested and motivated by what they read. So often the curriculum is bombarded with physically heavy, incomprehensible, and traditional textbooks. Based upon the need for extensions to the social studies textbooks, my goal to establish a guideline for selecting quality graphic novels fitted for elementary social studies instruction. Therefore, my study will attempt to answer the question: What is an effective means of determining quality graphic novels? Following my adaptation and creation of rubrics established for determining the needs and qualities of graphic novels, I was able to establish and analyze several social studies content related graphic novels appropriate for the elementary social studies curriculum. This investigation into social studies graphic novels provided 18 graphic novels for possible use in the elementary social studies curriculum, 5 of which were deemed quality via the established rubrics. Furthermore, the investigation proved that the books deemed quality provided more than what was established as necessary within the rubrics. The additional information found within those texts was referred to as a postlude. One strong conclusion from this study is the large void of graphic novels that teachers might link with the social studies curriculum so as to enhance elementary social studies instruction.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0003824, ucf:44764
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0003824
- Title
- SOCIAL EXPERIENCE, DEPRESSION, AND ALCOHOL ABUSE IN COLLEGE AGE FEMALES.
- Creator
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Cooper, Ann, Mottarella, Karen, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Past research has explored social experience in relation to depression among college females. Other studies have investigated the relationship between social experience and alcohol use among college students. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship among all the three variables, social experience, depression, and alcohol use, in female college students. In the present study, 132 traditional age female college students completed a Brief Social Experience Rating Scale, the Beck...
Show morePast research has explored social experience in relation to depression among college females. Other studies have investigated the relationship between social experience and alcohol use among college students. However, there is a lack of research on the relationship among all the three variables, social experience, depression, and alcohol use, in female college students. In the present study, 132 traditional age female college students completed a Brief Social Experience Rating Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). The results did not show a relationship between AUDIT scores and social experience ratings, but individuals who provided dissatisfied ratings of their social experience had higher depression scores falling into the clinical depression range on the BDI.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004279, ucf:44943
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004279
- Title
- SOCIAL NETWORKING AND USERS: THE INTERACTION OF PERSONALITY AND MOTIVATION FOR FACEBOOK POSTING.
- Creator
-
Kessler, Theresa, Hancock, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Facebook is the reigning king of Social Networking Sites (SNSs). Due to Facebook's impact on current culture, researchers have been focused on how it interacts with its members on a variety of issues including well-being, personal identity, personality type, and motivation. While the topics of personality type and motivation have been investigated separately, their possible relationship has not been examined until now. Participants consisted of 415 students from the University of Central...
Show moreFacebook is the reigning king of Social Networking Sites (SNSs). Due to Facebook's impact on current culture, researchers have been focused on how it interacts with its members on a variety of issues including well-being, personal identity, personality type, and motivation. While the topics of personality type and motivation have been investigated separately, their possible relationship has not been examined until now. Participants consisted of 415 students from the University of Central Florida were surveyed with an International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), a Facebook Intensity Survey, and a Facebook Motivation Scale. Results showed that the personality traits of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were positively related to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to make posts on Facebook, extraversion was found to be related to extrinsic motivation to make posts, and intellect was found to have almost no relationship to motivation. In addition, participants who were higher in the traits of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were more likely to be more intensely involved in Facebook than those who were high in extraversion and intellect. Finally, I found that participants who were more intensely involved in Facebook experienced more motivation to make posts on Facebook.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004504, ucf:45213
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004504
- Title
- UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN EXPERTISE COORDINATION IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT (ISD) TEAMS.
- Creator
-
Hsu, Shih-Chieh, Jiang, James, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Information system development (ISD) project is a knowledge-intensive teamwork process which requires members to coordinate their expertise to generate the final outcome. Breakdown or coordination and insufficient knowledge integration have been reported as critical factors which lead to ISD project failure. Most existing coordination literature focus on the effect of administrative coordination mechanisms toward project performance which hints that more efforts are needed to understand...
Show moreInformation system development (ISD) project is a knowledge-intensive teamwork process which requires members to coordinate their expertise to generate the final outcome. Breakdown or coordination and insufficient knowledge integration have been reported as critical factors which lead to ISD project failure. Most existing coordination literature focus on the effect of administrative coordination mechanisms toward project performance which hints that more efforts are needed to understand expertise coordination and explore ways to improve it. Addressing the above issues, two studies in this dissertation attempt to understand expertise coordination within the IS development team based on social capital perspective. The first study, based on intention-behavior literature, knowledge management research, and Gerwin's (2004) coordination model, investigates relationships among willingness, competence, and actual expertise coordination. The relationships between expertise coordination and teamwork outcomes are also examined. The second study incorporates social capital theory and examines (1) dependencies among three dimensions of social capital and (2) linkage between social capital and expertise coordination. Data collected from more than five hundred information systems project team members was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The analysis results confirmed most of the hypotheses. This dissertation contributes to coordination, project management, and team mental model research through many perspectives. In each study, directions for management practice and future research are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002347, ucf:47816
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002347
- Title
- Prescription Drug Misuse among College Students: An Examination of Sociological Risk Factors.
- Creator
-
Watkins, William, Ford, Jason, Jasinski, Jana, Wright, James, Childs, Kristina, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Prescription drug misuse (PDM), defined as use without a prescription or solely for the feeling or experience caused by the drug, has become a popular topic among substance use researchers. While the vast majority of studies on the topic tackle epidemiological questions surrounding PDM, there is a notable lack of studies that look specifically at risk factors rooted in sociological/criminological theories. The current research seeks to bridge this gap in the literature by examining...
Show morePrescription drug misuse (PDM), defined as use without a prescription or solely for the feeling or experience caused by the drug, has become a popular topic among substance use researchers. While the vast majority of studies on the topic tackle epidemiological questions surrounding PDM, there is a notable lack of studies that look specifically at risk factors rooted in sociological/criminological theories. The current research seeks to bridge this gap in the literature by examining theoretically based explanations for PDM among college students utilizing three criminological theories commonly applied to other forms of substance use: Social Learning Theory, Social Bonding/Control theory, and General Strain Theory. Inaddition, this study also seeks to examine differences in user types characterized by motives for misuse as they relate to predictors stemming from these theories of interest. Utilizing an independently collected sample of 841 college undergraduates from a large southern university, the findings show that nearly one in four students misused prescription drugs in the past semester. Motivations for PDM were primarily instrumental in nature, with very few respondents misusing solely for recreational purposes. Furthermore, social learning based risk factors could best account for PDM within the sample with partial and indirect supports also found for strain based risk factors as well. Implications of these findings as well as theoretical and practical applications are presented.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004455, ucf:49341
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004455
- Title
- The Relationship between Mentoring and Social Status at Work: A Social Network Status Study.
- Creator
-
Flowers, Lakeesha, Jentsch, Kimberly, Fritzsche, Barbara, Wooten, William, Chepenik, Nancy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Mentoring is an important means of developing talent. Typically, mentoring involves two individuals (-) a mentor, who provides career development and psychosocial support to a less experienced counterpart (the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;). Because mentoring is related to several desired outcomes such as career advancement, and job satisfaction, it is important to understand which individual characteristics are important to obtaining or providing effective mentoring. It is also necessary to examine...
Show moreMentoring is an important means of developing talent. Typically, mentoring involves two individuals (-) a mentor, who provides career development and psychosocial support to a less experienced counterpart (the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;). Because mentoring is related to several desired outcomes such as career advancement, and job satisfaction, it is important to understand which individual characteristics are important to obtaining or providing effective mentoring. It is also necessary to examine potential but unconfirmed outcomes of mentoring such as social network status. This study examined the relationships between several individual characteristics, namely social intelligence and emotional intelligence, and mentoring relationships. In addition, this study examined the relationships between mentoring and social network status. In this non-experimental study, there were several unique relationships among these constructs. The results indicate a person's social intelligence is indicative of their status as a mentor (or not a mentor) but is not related to status as a prot(&)#233;g(&)#233; (or not a prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;). In addition, a mentor's perception of the costs and benefits of mentoring were explained by the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;'s social intelligence and emotional intelligence. A mentor's social intelligence also explained the quality of the mentoring given. Finally, a mentor's social network status was related to the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;'s social network status but this relationship was not due to the mentoring received. This study provides one of the first examinations of the relationship between mentoring and social network status and provides areas for future research and practical considerations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004308, ucf:49478
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004308
- Title
- Italian-American Ethnic Concentration, Informal Social Control, and Urban Violent Crime: A Defended Neighborhoods Approach.
- Creator
-
Marshall, Hollianne, Corzine, Harold, Huff-Corzine, Lin, Jasinski, Jana, Jarvis, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examines the impact of white ethnic concentration on robbery and homicide in Chicago and New York City. As one of the first to disaggregate white ethnic populations, this study has the expectation that Italian-American concentration will have a stronger influence on robbery and homicide than any other white ethnic concentrations. This study is founded on prior qualitative research suggesting that the reputation of Italian-Americans influences the behavior of outsiders in their...
Show moreThis study examines the impact of white ethnic concentration on robbery and homicide in Chicago and New York City. As one of the first to disaggregate white ethnic populations, this study has the expectation that Italian-American concentration will have a stronger influence on robbery and homicide than any other white ethnic concentrations. This study is founded on prior qualitative research suggesting that the reputation of Italian-Americans influences the behavior of outsiders in their communities. The data show there is a significant and negative relationship between Italian-American concentration and the violent crimes robbery and homicide. This relationship only exists for white ethnic concentration with robbery. These patterns occur across both cities at three different aggregate levels. The results indicate that there may be particular characteristics about Italian-American ethnic concentrations which have dampening effects on the frequency of homicide and robbery in their communities; it is speculated that a reputation for Mafia involvement is one of the protective factors.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004407, ucf:49404
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004407
- Title
- THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL ON YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE.
- Creator
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Unlu, Ali, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Substance use, such as alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana, is a threat to the health and well-being of the youth, their families, and society as well. Government supports and implements several programs to protect youth from substance use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of social capital on youth behavior and to suggest evidence-based policy interventions. Social capital refers to individual embeddedness in web of social relations and their behaviors guided by social structure...
Show moreSubstance use, such as alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana, is a threat to the health and well-being of the youth, their families, and society as well. Government supports and implements several programs to protect youth from substance use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of social capital on youth behavior and to suggest evidence-based policy interventions. Social capital refers to individual embeddedness in web of social relations and their behaviors guided by social structure. Therefore, adolescents' social interactions with their peers, parents, and community were investigated. The substance use was measured by the usage of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants in the past year. The type of activities adolescents participate in, the time and type of intra-familial interactions between parents and adolescents, and the type of peer groups adolescents interact with were employed as indicators of social capital. In other words, this study focuses on the relationship between youth substance use and the impact of parents, peers, and youth activities. Moreover, the study examined not only the correlation between social capital and substance use, but also the variation in substance use among youth by age, gender, ethnicity, income level, and mobility. The data, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005, 2006, and 2007), was collected by the United States Department of Health and Human Service, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Applied Studies. The sample size for each year was around 17.000. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized. The results of the statistical analysis supported the research hypothesis.Findings show that there is a relationship between youth substance use and social capital. All three dimensions of social capital (peer impact, family attachments, and youth activities) were found to be statistically significant. While peer influence is positively correlated with substance use, family attachment and youth activities have a negative relationship with substance use. The impact of social capital however varies by age, gender, ethnicity, mobility, and income level. The study also contributes to the social capital literature by integrating different perspectives in social capital and substance use literature. Moreover, it successfully demonstrates how social capital can be utilized as a policy and intervention tool.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002700, ucf:48237
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002700
- Title
- Help me be healthy: Perceptions of social support in an online weight loss program.
- Creator
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Davies, Brittany, Sandoval, Jennifer, Neuberger, Lindsay, Hastings, Sally, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As technology changes, so do the ways in which we receive information, provide information and interact with one another. The exchange of social support is increasingly mediated by technology in the realm of health, nutrition, and fitness (Dahl, et al 2015; Wright et al 2011). Commercial weight loss and healthy lifestyle initiatives such as the Beachbody programs incorporate social media and web applications to reach a broader consumer base with individualized programming options. The present...
Show moreAs technology changes, so do the ways in which we receive information, provide information and interact with one another. The exchange of social support is increasingly mediated by technology in the realm of health, nutrition, and fitness (Dahl, et al 2015; Wright et al 2011). Commercial weight loss and healthy lifestyle initiatives such as the Beachbody programs incorporate social media and web applications to reach a broader consumer base with individualized programming options. The present study, guided by optimal matching theory and the helper theory principle, employed online participant-observation and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Beachbody coaches and participants to investigate how these individuals perceived social support to be enacted in these programs as well as the perceived benefits and challenges of participating in these online groups. The interview transcripts were coded using thematic analysis to identify significant topics based on Owen's (1984) process of identifying recurrence, repetition, and forcefulness. Major benefits for participants included accountability, around the clock access to feedback, and access to a wide range of information. Noted challenges included the lack of personal connection and a need to maintain face-to-face relationships, difficulty sustaining motivation, and financial concerns. Cultivating a genuine feeling of community to facilitate open discussion and sharing was often inconsistent and a challenge to maintain throughout the duration of the program. This study aims to expand our understanding of social support in the context of online fitness and nutrition programs with potential to guide further research in technology-mediated support and how it may affect health. By broadening our understanding of the benefits of online support and how individuals have overcome its challenges in this context, it may help provide direction for the development of future research and similar online health initiatives.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007567, ucf:52574
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007567
- Title
- A study of EEG signature associated with Emotional and stress responses due to cyberbullying.
- Creator
-
Alhujailli, Ashraf, Karwowski, Waldemar, Reinerman, Lauren, Hancock, Peter, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The human brain processes vital information regarding human feelings. Prior research has focused on the problems of underage bullying, workplace bullying, burnout, mobbing and, most recently, cyberbullying. Scholars have traditionally examined the adverse outcomes of cyberbullying using subjective measures of stress and emotion for decades. However, very few studies examined cyberbullying using objective measures like EEG. The main goal of this study was to explore the relationship between...
Show moreThe human brain processes vital information regarding human feelings. Prior research has focused on the problems of underage bullying, workplace bullying, burnout, mobbing and, most recently, cyberbullying. Scholars have traditionally examined the adverse outcomes of cyberbullying using subjective measures of stress and emotion for decades. However, very few studies examined cyberbullying using objective measures like EEG. The main goal of this study was to explore the relationship between the brain's EEG, expressed by the power spectral density, and emotions and stress due to two types of cyberbullying, specifically: 1) social exclusion, and 2) verbal harassment. This research also examined how cyberbullying factors of social interaction and publicity affect the emotional and stress responses. EEG data were collected from twenty-nine undergraduate students, aged 18-22, using 10/5 EEG system with 64 channels. Each cyberbullying experimental condition was treated as an independent study. The first study investigated the effects of social exclusion on EEG activity and the related emotional and stress factors while playing a virtual ball-tossing game known as cyberball. EEG results showed significant differences in alpha and beta power in the right posterior brain regions due to social exclusion. There were also significant differences in beta and gamma power in the left anterior brain regions due to social exclusion. The results suggest that EEG activity in the left anterior brain region may be important to identify social exclusion. The second study utilized a hypothetical scenario presented as impolite or complimentary online comments. EEG results showed marginally significant differences in gamma power at right- and left- anterior and midline brain regions due to verbal harassment. The results suggest that changes in gamma power at anterior brain regions might play an essential role in the processing of verbal harassment information. Self-reported measures confirmed that verbal harassment was more distressing than social exclusion.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0006968, ucf:51628
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006968
